Doublesoybean yields,increase incomethrough good agricultural practices

Working in partnership to create down-to-earth messages on integrated soil fertility management

For farmers in Zambia

This leaflet was produced by the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI) in October 2013 for soybean farmers in Zambia. It is available on the website of the Africa Soil Health Consortium (ASHC - www.cabi.org/ashc) as Creative Commons material which can be reproduced and re-used without permission - provided ZARI and ASHC are credited. The content was developed as a result of partnership between ZARI and ASHC.

For more information, contact your extension officer or:Laston Milambo Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI)Email: lastonmilambo@yahoo.comwww.zari.gov.zm

Timely harvesting is important to avoid shattering

• Harvest when most of the pods are dry and brown in colour, and seeds in pods rattle when plants are shaken

• Preferably, cut the mature plants at ground level. Soybean roots left in the field add nutrients to the soil

• Dry the harvested plants on tarpaulin in sunlight for 4 days before threshing, to a moisture content of 13% or less. Soybean seed is sufficiently dry if it breaks or cracks when bitten or pinched with finger nails

• Pile soybean plants on a tarpaulin and hit gently with a stick. Sort and winnow

• Pack seed in clean bags and place the bags on wooden pallets in a cool place

4. Harvest

5. Post-harvest

• Select soil with moderate to high fertility

• Plough in crop residues and vegetation to improve soil fertility. Break up large lumps of soil and level

• Where soil is acidic, broadcast agricultural lime at the rate of 20 bags of 50 kg per hectare and plough in

• Plant improved varieties. Use certified seed or seed from a crop grown from

certified seed. Do not use same seed for more than 3 seasons

• Test seed for germination before the start of the rainy season. Plant 100 seeds, and if at least 85 germinate, then the seed is good to plant

• Inoculate seeds under a shade and plant on the same day. In Zambia, 250 g

inoculant from Mt. Makulu is used for 50 kg seed

• Plant at the start of the rainy season - usually between the 1st and 3rd week of December

• Space furrows at 45-50 cm. Furrows should be 5 cm deep

• At planting, apply 2 bottle-tops of Soymix fertilizer per meter along the furrow (4 bags of 50 kg per hectare). Cover the

furrow partially with soil

• If manure is available, make furrows slightly deeper, apply manure and

fertilizer along the furrow, and mix with soil before placing seed

• Drill seeds along the furrow at a spacing of 3-5 cm between seeds. You will need 100 kg of seed per hectare

• Cover seed with soil immediately to protect the inoculant from damage by the sun

• Weed on time - first weeding at 2 weeks after planting and the second at 5–6 weeks after planting

• For seed production, uproot diseased plants, and plants that look different from the rest

• Seek advice when applying chemicals: - use pre-emergence (Acetochlor) or post-emergence (Bragadier) herbicides - insecticides such as Karate control leaf-eating insects if damage is likely to reduce yield - fungicides such as Bravo control rust, frogeye and powdery mildew

1. Land preparation & seed selection

2. Planting

3. Field management